Immersed in Word

2012-02-10T00:30:00.001-08:00

surprising
how this sleeping volcano
wakes me with its snow

Dream Catcher

2012-02-10T00:30:00.000-08:00

Clawfoot Serenity

2012-02-08T17:49:00.000-08:00

glycerin soap
a hint of scent
gardenias in the bathtub

For Matt

2012-02-07T18:53:00.000-08:00

we walk
the wooded path
each day a new journey
trees lean into our space, sharing
bird gossip about our aging
comfort, as wind wraps us
intimately
we walk

a break in the clouds

2012-02-03T20:51:00.000-08:00

at last
a face to match
my face, a reflection
cupped within cusps of the moon, I
nestle

Garden Tears

2012-01-31T13:59:00.000-08:00

Here is my last small stone. I created this "Spirits of the Earth Mask" last fall for the Earth Arts NW Gala. The following is my artist description:

Artist: Kay Tracy
A sentence about Kay Tracy: "I'm a poet, editor, & classroom publishing aficionado."
Name of mask: Garden Tears
Materials used: Tinted & white sand, chili powder, corn meal, celery seeds, basil, poppy seeds, lavender, and paper. The frame is a wicker basket and topped with wheat stalks. (Oh, and raffia.)

What is the message of the mask?

"Underneath herb, grain, and flower seed is garish, tinted sand. If we replenish native habitats, the garish is replaced with beauty; tears of sorrow are replaced with tears of joy."

And that, my friends, sums it up nicely for me.

Small Stones: Day 29

2012-01-29T21:23:00.000-08:00

new stones abandoned
along the trail, looking up
a hummingbird's perch

Baba Yaga

2012-01-27T03:00:00.000-08:00

she holds
the pestle, shaped
like man's part, a rudder
to take her mortar wherever
she wants

Small Stones: Day 26

2012-01-26T18:29:00.000-08:00

Today's small stone looks more like an egg...

Small Stones: Day 22

2012-01-22T20:04:00.000-08:00

Apparently, it is "Syllabic Tanka Day, 2012." If you go to Jim Wilson's blog, here, you will find an excellent description of tanka's evolution. Below is my small stone.

the sails deflate
when the wind changes its course
and the boat is still
far from land, the gulls cry out
who will give my eulogy?

crags of earth recede
a view of mist takes over
I want only wind
I want it to blow my ash
oversea with singing gulls

Small Stones: Day 21

2012-01-21T13:40:00.001-08:00

dark is the rain
roiling, unquenchable
I numb my lips with brandy

Small Stones: Day 20

2012-01-20T21:41:00.000-08:00

Today was my Grandmother Fannie's birthday. She would have been 102. Next year will be the tenth anniversary of her passing.

Many sweet dreams to you, dear Grandma.

A Stone for Poe

2012-01-19T00:00:00.000-08:00

rusty door
creaking floor
Raven cawing, "Nevermore!"

thumping starts
tell-tale hearts
never from my mind departs

thump-thump
thump-thump
thump-thump

Happy Birthday, Edgar!

For those who want to see an awesome Fibonacci Poem about Mr. Poe, see Kirigirisu's Jan. 19 post!

Learning to Paint

2012-01-18T10:41:00.000-08:00

wolf's tail defines the man
goat's hair brushes
the woman
an afternoon moon
in my inkstone

Beauty and the Beast

2012-01-18T00:00:00.000-08:00

snow is falling
I watch polar bears teethe on
Aurora Borealis

Small Stones: Day 17

2012-01-17T13:38:00.000-08:00

today
I toss a stone
the silent ripple forms
I ride it into the sunset
of dreams

The Path

2012-01-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

How many times have I clambered up the path of Multnomah Falls? The effort to shape my body leaves me wilting at the top. The old trees hold their branches to the wind year after year, strengthening without effort.

Tai Chi
the gnarled tree
contemplates
its next pose
over the waterfall

Baked From Scratch

2012-01-15T17:00:00.000-08:00

the Snicker
(covered with cinnamon hands)
Doodles
(on the cookies)
laughter on shortbread

Grandma's Recipe

2012-01-14T00:16:00.000-08:00

collards are simmering
and she is back
in steam tinted glasses
I see her
rolling the pastry
strewing flour
on the board
like rose petals

Front and Center

2012-01-13T16:42:00.000-08:00

there!
the last actress
on stage left
the cast exits
Lobelia waves

Point Well-Taken

2012-01-12T12:11:00.000-08:00

a puffer fish
balloons

languorous lifts
a kaleidoscope of ocean
parts

The Eye of the Beholder

2012-01-11T15:53:00.000-08:00

knee
deep
water
in the pond
the frog catcher wades
while clever little Buddhas cross
their legs, in Lotus position
a meditation
to mire him
knee deep
in
mud

Faith

2012-01-10T13:53:00.000-08:00

imperceptible
the changing wind
commissions
to the mustard seed
Mt. St. Helens trembles

The Riverbed

2012-01-09T18:08:00.000-08:00

throwing stones
skipping stones
petroglyphs dance to river music
I add another stone
to my blog

Spectrometers

2012-01-06T15:11:00.000-08:00

quiet is misunderstood
the power of eyes is
taken
for granted, we are human
but he is the entire range of wavelengths

In the Woods

2012-01-05T17:17:00.000-08:00

always

caught off guard

the dog waits around

the bend, listening with one ear

cocked, pointing with his wooden leg

a likeness to life

in the moss

covered

fir

tree

Small Stones: Day 4

2012-01-04T15:35:00.000-08:00

eventide
the shore's reflection
dabs
the hushed rush

the pussy willow muse

2012-01-03T20:21:00.000-08:00

uplifted in Finnish clay
splayed
where the edge of light
cannot hide, and dust
cannot change it

Small Stones: Day 2

2012-01-02T10:06:00.000-08:00

the dust
of yesterdays...
discarded hearing aids
collect weighted sighs and release
cloudbursts

A New Year

2012-01-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

dawn arrives
on the maple
seventy times seven
crescent moons germinate
in dewdrops

Winter Break

2011-12-20T11:30:00.000-08:00

It's a time of hibernation
A rest for brain cells, fingers too
This poet needs a short vacation
Seasons Greetings to all of you!

I will return in January to share a river of stones with you on a daily basis.

Kerplop.

Solstice Comes

2011-12-20T11:16:00.000-08:00

snowflakes fall
lash to cheek
eyelids deny
the transition

A Bedtime Story for Brian

2011-12-19T01:00:00.000-08:00

north
star
dipping
the inkwell
indelible muse
dripping from the tail of a bear

Treasure Chest

2011-12-18T14:00:00.000-08:00

time is wasted
on keys
it takes bobby pins
and a quick wrist

Special Announcement for Four and Twenty

2011-12-16T12:25:00.000-08:00

I would love to present the work of Peter Pommer's high school students. This creative writing class at Clackamas High School has poetry and artwork displayed in a special issue of Four and Twenty. I was privileged to speak to them about the publishing process with publisher, Vinnie Kinsella. The students then wrote, edited, and submitted their poetry and cover art.

Take a look at the talent of our youth at Four and Twenty: Short Form Poetry

Do You Know Where You're Going To?

2011-12-16T01:00:00.000-08:00

robin beats
breast upon unwary brow
a sign of trespassing

The Last Gift

2011-12-15T01:00:00.000-08:00

pa-rum pum pum pum

birds took to air

eight maids ran home

seven Princes went out to sea

ten leaping lords

danced nine ladies round

and five rings rang out the decree

pa-rum pum pum pum

through piper’s drone

a woman unveiled

her nom de plume set them free

none other than she

the fair Stephanie!

it was she that had set them free

pa-rum pum pum pum

the drum corps’ heart

beat around Truelove

it marched him away from the scene

a partridge chuffed

then flit to her roost

once more in the blooming pear tree

The Wanderer's Wonder

2011-12-14T01:00:00.000-08:00

What lies beneath?
The plaid kilts swinging
While heads down
Not revealing
Eleven pipers stave off
Truelove

Dash Away, Cupid!

2011-12-13T01:00:00.000-08:00

silk strewn

in ballroom’s midst

women whisper to ten

tall Lords, knee deep in the softness

"Spring forth!"

On, Dancer!

2011-12-12T01:00:00.000-08:00

Veiled in the mist, a woman

Gathering milkmaids to drink

The moon’s water

Solemn lake’s distribution

Seven swans molting, their wake

Morning's dew

Nesting geese lay golden eggs

Signets intertwine with rue

Diadems march

Birds and slaves, comrades-in-arms

Trothed to reveal a tyrant

Pyrus blooms

Truelove’s lair, unsuspecting

Nine ladies dancing gaily

Flames in the pit

Where have all the young maids gone?

2011-12-11T01:00:00.000-08:00

Rich butter and cream dressed in crystal

Belie eight kept maids, kerchiefs to flanks

Hands warm teats o'er steaming shackled pails

The tangs of crisscrossing streams in tin

At Midnight

2011-12-10T01:00:00.000-08:00

beneath swans who swim,
seven princes dance in white
the lake's reflection

the silent figures...
glissando illusion marks
the surface of truth

Now, what is the crime?
A kidnapping? A foul theft?
Truelove knows no bounds.

In the Lady's Chamber

2011-12-09T01:00:00.000-08:00

preferred
was the foie gras
or goose down comforter
to the half-a-dozen layers
of geese

The Diary of Mrs. Truelove: Day 5 of Christmas

2011-12-08T01:00:00.000-08:00

He gave to me a ring inscribed:

“My first and only true...”

‘Twas so, until I held the next,

It’s vow said: “Only you."

The third began to ring unclear

with “Stephanie,” his “one true dear,”

and then the fourth, when icy pressed,

between embittered fallen breasts:

“Truelove will always love you best!”

Now see the fifth, another gold...

His gleaming eyes…

It’s getting old...

B-R-R-R-ing!

2011-12-07T01:00:00.000-08:00

…in the Sheaves

they are calling

but no one hears...

Flics question Truelove

regarding four birds

his story ringing

while he sows, shadows

chill the grieving kin

waiting for answers

Trois, the Night Before...

2011-12-06T01:00:00.000-08:00

chiming, the clocks
strike the charmed
investigations
missing French hens
suspection of Truelove

After the First Day of Christmas...

2011-12-05T01:00:00.000-08:00

mourning takes place
woo-OO-oo-oo-oo
a roost and Partridge Family
gone
two friends are bound
to follow
a non-sunshine day

Before the First Day of Christmas

2011-12-04T19:21:00.000-08:00

café au lait
bespeckled eggs
laid out in lavender with pears

In the Vicinity of Nativity

2011-12-03T01:00:00.000-08:00

loose strands of hay
alight on heads
soon taxed by Caesar Augustus

Drink to Me Only...

2011-12-02T01:00:00.000-08:00

pulsing below
rain-drizzled leaves
topsoil's languid imbibition

Humble Pie

2011-12-01T21:02:00.000-08:00

the child counts
the blackbirds
such flighty things
the offered gift
now hollow

Yes, Virginia

2011-11-30T01:00:00.000-08:00

a bell rings...

I remember believing
lying still under covers
straining to hear
the ashes scatter

A Beautiful Danger

2011-11-29T01:00:00.000-08:00

swans sing

the rising darkness

deliberates

in siren decibels

listen

waxing gibbous moon

bids

a wick lit

bright, it will not

wane

snuff the flame

treat the swans

to silent days

winging

toward the sun

the cat's meow

2011-11-28T01:00:00.000-08:00

a question-marked exit
sultry, intended
whisking through the door
my foggy little cat
feet follow

too dark for K-mart

2011-11-25T01:00:00.000-08:00

for sale
a million things
I do not need anymore
sleep
will do just fine

"Sir Gracious"

2011-11-24T01:00:00.000-08:00

for Shirley Temple

she curtsies
in a heap
innocence picked up
righted
I'm so grateful for the smile

A blessed Thanksgiving to all who travel here. I am thankful for you.
~Kay

the nature of things

2011-11-23T01:00:00.000-08:00

birds glean
between raindrops
seeds of nevertheless
take root between torrents, I knead
the bread

well-done

2011-11-22T01:00:00.000-08:00

centuries of women
have stirred
the matter unfolding
as they fold
slowly from the middle
up and over
under
through and around
the edges
scraping time
into bite-sized portions
then watching it rise
to the occasion

balancing act

2011-11-21T01:00:00.000-08:00

a shell
holds fast
the wind hewn
sandy plank
hovering
taut
a vast inch of sanity waits
for waves

When in Rome

2011-11-20T15:17:00.000-08:00

I've forgotten how...
to pray I light
Shabbat candles
and bake
chocolate cookies

a resurrection of naked ladies

2011-11-04T15:21:00.000-07:00

the air of pink
fragrant, teasing
my life's dearth
unearthed
and buried

apparent

2011-11-03T11:45:00.000-07:00

this piece of glass
once helped shape water
the favor
reciprocated

fallen fruit

2011-11-02T16:00:00.000-07:00

see the apple lose its blush
bruised, it waits
alone
on the pebbles

de novo embers

2011-11-01T01:00:00.000-07:00

timid turns
the heated dust
catching
suitable
digressions

For Chuck

2011-10-31T00:30:00.000-07:00

The rocks may weigh
you down
some days...
But, Chuck, 'ol pal,
I say!
Take that bag
of jibes and jeers,
and fling them Lucy's way.

Her five good reasons
won't have time
to clench
or pull a prank.
The little red-haired
girl will share
and you'll have rocks
to thank.

apparitions

2011-10-28T01:00:00.000-07:00

I have dreamed of them
friends now gone
telling me
there's no more pain
but you--
where are you?
I'd rather dream
of you

the alarm

2011-10-27T01:00:00.000-07:00

disorderly dreamscapes:
the air, swirling leaf bits
dead red spirits pour
pale amber ales
dust devils thrive and throng
witches prong
the black cat
yowling in my ear

The Great Pumpkin

2011-10-26T01:00:00.000-07:00

the lamp
lit through clenched teeth, bearing down night's
darkness with smoldering
eyes, glaring hot
Jacko!

full circle

2011-10-25T20:13:00.000-07:00

it is
moon's turn to take
special effects to new
horizons, moaning horror at
earth's tremulous vision
imploding dark--
empty

demitasse

2011-10-24T01:00:00.000-07:00

half empty
half full
surprisingly strong
those phantom fingers
stirring

fielded

2011-10-21T17:11:00.000-07:00

bedraggled
the scare crow's chin
upon his chest
digging deep furrows
with wind's indecision
a straw buried heart
plucked
by the birds

the gathering

2011-10-20T22:40:00.000-07:00

raven-feathers
cloak
the neighborhood
craving a murder
for yard, fence, and tree

The New Dress

2011-10-18T22:26:00.000-07:00

for Virginia Woolf

she wore

with smile and frown

she entertained the lance

it glanced from mirrored corner, there

looking glass breaks, and flies

drink the milky

saucer

smokey

2011-10-14T14:18:00.000-07:00

chimneys
billow below
clouds take notice and puff
bellowing without the dark gray
flavor

Tongue in Cheek

2011-10-10T21:44:00.000-07:00

a tongue
coiled spring ready
to taste the last nectar
Canada's fall sunshine is
not here

Happy Thanksgiving Brian and Chen-ou!

blogging break

2011-10-03T01:00:00.000-07:00

Will be writing again next week.

Doves

2011-10-01T17:27:00.000-07:00

quiet
sighs, the wind's tears
when wings caress no more
sweeping clouds lift up their curtains
searching

This cinquain is in response to Brian's lovely on Kirigirisu's 9/29/11 post.

lip service

2011-09-26T01:00:00.000-07:00

spittle
my lips open
that I may praise, yet once
again, from these lips spew curses
abjure your spit and leave
me dumb to all
the spew

the sound of silence

2011-09-23T01:00:00.000-07:00

deaf to all
who hear
yet there is more
understanding
silent cues to life
a gift
I do not have

why did they beg
Jesus to finger out
the quiet streams
drying up
the peace
I do not have
understanding

blind sight

2011-09-21T01:00:00.000-07:00

unbind
my eyes with loam;
tightly lids of clay melt
in Siloam's rinse, set them free--
selah

wake-up calls

2011-09-19T22:52:00.000-07:00

Morning 1:

filtered
a maple leaf
percolates
the sun

Morning 2:

shameless
the wood strips
sapping
the truth

mirror, mirror

2011-09-12T15:41:00.000-07:00

vanity
reveal who I am
ecclesiastical
reflections
confuse me

Aftermath

2011-09-09T14:48:00.000-07:00

the sun
full of blood
earth fires up
the mirror

ribbons above
blue sky
barracades
eastern mountains

the west
hazed by rose ash
sinks below
the sights

Mother Hood

2011-09-09T12:22:00.001-07:00

river’s rinse

washes daily
shores

rocking woods

with thunder

For Matt

2011-09-06T12:30:00.000-07:00

a sliver of silver
working toward gold
twenty-five years
of merry

happy anniversary, darling

Zinnias

2011-08-31T10:47:00.001-07:00

age-spotting stage
hovering
this life
above-below

the long winter...

2011-08-30T11:04:00.000-07:00

the flowers in this bed
are rooted in perennial annals
and quilting bees

fading floral fragrance
within cotton sheets
lie dreams of spring

fleeting moments

2011-08-29T14:13:00.000-07:00

the thicket's doe
steps lightly
impressions of one
not seen
soon follow

The Monarch's Wife

2011-08-24T08:38:00.000-07:00

changing

behind curtains

jaded robes cover angst

disrobing old-new--quivering

painting

in anticipation, orange

stripes of warning, warming

milkweed poison

for him

Queen Anne's Lace

2011-08-22T01:00:00.000-07:00

sitting
with needle tight
twixt fingers so hungry
to hold a child, she makes the lace
a lattice to cradle a baby's head
but woe to the queen, her maid gives her drink,
the brew of crushed seed taints her lips
now barren, her fingers
drip blood and bloom
nothing

lilies

2011-08-19T09:49:00.000-07:00

swallow
indigo tails
gold rushes free in streams
till tickled free from petaled cusp
laughing

Bucked Still

2011-08-17T08:23:00.000-07:00

aware
soft grass crinkles
underfoot, earth tremors
the crown, velvet brown tilts up. My!
heart palpates its bone cage
stillness reigns, our
eyes meet

Days of the Week

2011-08-17T08:08:00.000-07:00

It's Wednesday
all I can think
buffet
my head
feels no hunger

Ordering Shakespeare

2011-08-15T18:17:00.000-07:00

for Four and Twenty, Brian, and the Bard
(the writing prompt was "holus-bolus")

thrice they chanted
hocus-pocus
holus-bolus
threw they in
newts now see-can't

frogs can't leap
bats are cold
and dogs can't speak

take me round
the cauldron soon
spill it in the cold
blue moon
return the eyes
the toes and wool
give back the tongue
so dogs can drool

At the Pond

2011-08-15T09:38:00.000-07:00

reading
understanding
swaps of poesy-toesies
Basho's leapfrog topsy-turvies
intertwining tendrils
musing leafy
writing

mermaids

2011-08-15T01:00:00.000-07:00

red, blue
twist of green
dyeing new
cutting edges
off to show
the world

the call

2011-08-12T10:01:00.000-07:00

whale song implores
sad-joy tonal rhythms
deep beneath
the surface

Junk Drawer

2011-08-12T09:29:00.000-07:00

Misplaced schedules map the roads to nowhere.

Venus

2011-08-08T11:32:00.000-07:00

she weeds
the shells, burly
beards of muscular mouths
molluscs biding tides, and seaweed
hides the mouths of muscles
burly, she weeds
the shells

Canada Geese

2011-08-08T10:12:00.000-07:00

vector, a cross
the great lake
a state of grace